Category Archives: Featured Articles

Kitchell Fleet Services: extending our reputation beyond the built world

When Kitchell Fleet Services Manager Aaron Brown started working on Kitchell-owned vehicles almost 20 years ago, he wondered if he made a mistake. He would pull his tool box in and out of a Conex storage container and work on cars with nothing more than a lean-to and a slab of concrete, located at the Kitchell yard. He even had to shield his eyes when a strong wind came through so he wouldn’t get dust in his eyes. But as former Kitchell Contractors President Mark Pendleton said: “working for Kitchell is an investment in your future,” and Aaron believed in it.

Soon, Aaron was able to add a lift, using a generator to operate it. A cover for the concrete slab was built from leftover building materials, and two bays were added. In 2003, Kitchell Fleet Services as an official division came to be. And Aaron’s faith in Mark Pendleton’s wise words stood strong.

Today, that humble lean-to has grown into six bays maintaining not only Kitchell’s fleet of vehicles, but also fleets owned by other major local companies. This year, Kitchell Fleet Services marks its 15th year as a subsidiary of Kitchell.

“It’s a pretty cool accomplishment,” he said. “The only way we can grow and retain customers is through respect and trust, and building business the right way.”

Kitchell has always touted a family atmosphere, and the Fleet Services team is a testament to this. Aaron and 15-year Employee-Owner Steve Crea (Kitchell Equipment Manager) have known each other since the 6thgrade and grew up in Tempe, today working just a few feet from each with Steve housed at the adjacent Kitchell yard. Fleet Services Assistant Manager Ryan Devinny (who recently marked his 10-year anniversary with Kitchell) also grew up in the East Valley and went to Dobson High School.

Fleet Services’ nine dedicated employees collectively bring 90 years of Kitchell experience: Joining Aaron and Ryan are Technicians Bruce Brumbaugh (14 years), Derek Huggins (13 years), Eric Gonzalez (12 years), Mark O’Connor (6 years), Brian Smith (6 years), Justin Derichsweiler (5 years) and Administrative Assistant Tom Brzozowski (4 years).

Kitchell’s fleet represents about 15 percent of the Division’s work, with 65 percent of its business from companies that have come through referrals: Tolin Mechanical, George Brazil, Kearney Electric, Hernandez Companies, Ewing Irrigation and DP Air, among others. The remaining 15 percent of its business is from maintaining personally owned vehicles.

“The bulk of our customers have been with us for 10-plus years,” said Aaron.

A point of pride is Kitchell Fleet Services’ strong reputation in DemandForce, a customer relationship management tool commonly used by the auto industry. Kitchell has 500-plus reviews with five-star ratings. And although the team mostly serves commercial customers, their reviews on consumer-facing review sites including Yelp and Google are also stellar:

This is the ONLY auto shop I want working on my vehicles, period. They are honest, trustworthy, and not looking for a sale. They will show you the problem, explain it, and even give you options to save money on how to fix it. They are up front and talk to you like a normal person. I’ve had three vehicles there over the 10 years I’ve been taking my ride to them and recommend them to anyone who wants good honest service.

“All you have in this business is your name and your integrity, and we are committed to earning business,” Aaron said. “Because if you care about Kitchell, Kitchell cares about you.”

Kitchell Fleet Services

3752 E. Anne Street

Phoenix, AZ  85040

602.426.8109

 

What’s your workout? An interview with Employee-Owner Clare Bielecki

 

Kitchell Employee-Owner Clare Bielecki is dedicated to achieving balance on and off the job, both literally and figuratively. Clare is a Business Manager with our Kitchell CEM team in Southern California. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and achieves balance, calm, and clarity on her mat by helping others breathe and ground themselves while teaching students at Radiant Hot Yoga in Orange County.

What’s on your yoga playlist?

Lots of unknown pop/electronic music for the faster paced portions of classes, more low-key tunes for the slower parts. I try to find up and coming music on Spotify as often as I can to keep it fresh and love recommendations on new artists.

Does your diet play a role in your commitment to yoga, if so how?

Absolutely! I teach HOT yoga, which means the room is heated to 105 degrees plus 40% humidity – fuel for my body is essential. Each class can burn anywhere from 350-900 calories depending on body type and class intensity. I am responsible for guiding a class with anywhere from 20-50 students, so my energy level has to be high for 60 or 80-minute classes to motivate my students.

I eat small meals consistently throughout the day and keep it high in protein. I restore potassium and magnesium electrolytes naturally with lots of greens and bananas (my favorite food). I also drink ridiculous amounts of water throughout the day- you’ll never see me without my large Nalgene bottle at my side.

How do you stay motivated to teach or practice?

My own yoga practice is very important to me – making it to my mat daily helps to inspire my messaging so I can practice what I preach. It can be a challenge to find the time, but it is always worth it.

Reason for practicing and/or teaching yoga?

I started practicing yoga six years ago as a physical workout, and it has become a necessary element to my life to keep me sane! I began teaching two years ago with the encouragement from the owner of my studio and many others. Plus, I love the challenge of the heat in the room – this practice is not for the faint of heart!

Things you’ve learned about yourself during the journey- toward becoming a teacher or daily realizations as a practitioner?

Yoga has seriously changed my outlook and perspective on life. I am a genuinely happier person when I practice consistently, and it has provided an enormous amount of grounding to my life. The self-confidence I have gained is remarkable, and I have greatly improved my public speaking skills. Guiding a class is not easy, but I have so much fun doing it, I can’t imagine not having it as a part of my life. I could probably go on for days about how much of an impact it has had on me both personally and professionally.

First thing you do after you teach class or practice a class?

For some reason I usually crave a good crunchy apple or a coconut water to refuel my body, and of course drink tons of water.

As a self-insured company, Kitchell is dedicated to ensuring our employees maintain a healthy lifestyle. We incentivize employees to earn wellness points toward their health savings accounts (HSAs), and maintain robust benefits for employees and their dependents. For more information about Kitchell’s benefits and potential career opportunities, visit www.Kitchell.com/careers.